The 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccination (PCV13) was generally recommended in September 2014 for all US adults over the age of 65. Adult PCV13 coverage, including whether or not inequalities in uptake exist, is not extensively documented. Researchers estimated overall and subpopulation-level PCV13 uptake among US individuals aged 65 years using a monthly series of cross-sectional analyses of administrative medical and pharmaceutical claims data obtained by IQVIA and linked to sociodemographic data acquired by Experian. By the end of November 2017, 43.3 percent of people aged 65 had gotten PCV13. PCV13 uptake was substantially linked to race/ethnicity, yearly family income, education status, and neighbourhood urbanicity among individuals aged 65 years. Non-Hispanic black and Hispanic people, the poor, those with low educational status, and those residing in rural regions or urban/inner-city areas had lower PCV13 uptake.
In the three years following universal recommendation in September 2014, PCV13 uptake among individuals aged 65 increased significantly. However, PCV13 coverage was significantly lower in poor and minority groups, rural and urban/inner-city regions, and populations with low educational attainment. These same groups are at a higher risk of pneumococcal illness. Further targeted and personalised efforts to improve PCV13 uptake in these marginalised communities are still required to optimise the advantages of pneumococcal immunisation.
Reference:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21645515.2018.1564434
